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The Spare Moments
Amy McMichael, MD
A while ago, a Piece of Mind article in the Journal of the American Medical Association sparked me to think about my spare moments [JAMA, May 7, 2003;289(17):2185-6]. The author discussed the peace of mind that he received from long drives. A friend questioned his desire to spend hours in the car when he could fly for quicker travel. The author responded with a personal revelation…that he enjoyed the time he spent with his own thoughts—his “me time.” I began to think about my time for myself, the ways that I keep my sanity in my personal rat-race as an academic dermatologist, wife, and mother.
We can all describe the busy days that we spend as physicians with the patients, the charts, the insurance questions, meetings, staff issues, and the list goes on. The patient contact and satisfaction from a job well-done are certainly rewards for all the hard work. We can list recent accomplishments for each day, each week, and year. We can list future accomplishments for tomorrow, next week, and next year. What we cannot always do is sit back and relish the spare moments or the “me time.” I took time to find out what some other women physicians do to keep their sanity from their full and busy work days. They are well-rounded women with full lives in their off-time, with unique ways to fill their precious few spare moments.
The most popular way to escape from the workday for the women physicians with whom I spoke was exercise. One friend from Chicago reports that her favorite respite from her busy new practice is running. She paints a picture of running by the lake just after a fresh snow which she finds clears her head enough to face the rest of the day. She did mention that after running, shopping and eating anything chocolate can complete her spare moments very nicely.
For another friend from Washington, D.C., dancing is her outlet. Hip-hop, Latin dancing, ballet, and/or ballroom dancing as her form of exercise can turn her day around, but her real passion is riding her 4-wheeler on the dunes near her home. For her, it is like riding in the “convertible she never had.” Another friend in Maryland likes to spend her free time teaching her son basketball. She uses the time to bond with her son and exercise the muscles she used to win a college basketball scholarship. Yet another busy, private practitioner in Hermitage, Tennessee, spends her spare moments as an active member of her church. She feels thankful for the special opportunity to impact the lives of others as a physician, and gives thanks through her devotional time. For those physicians with such tight schedules that spare moments are few and far between, sleep is always a coveted commodity.
When I think about the things that I do in my spare moments, my “me time,” I realize that I steal it throughout the week. For my 40 minute commute each morning and evening to and from Greensboro, I have started collecting music and books on tape that no one else in my family wants to hear. This is the time that I can savor being alone for a few moments without anyone asking mommy, Dr. McMichael, or the woman of the house any questions. I think that is why the comments of the author of the JAMA article struck such a personal cord with me. Each week, someone asks me why I commute so far to work each day. I cannot say that living 40 minutes away from work is my first choice, but since it has worked out best for my family this way, I have learned to make it my “me time.” It is a time where I can listen to the new jazz fusion compact disk or the book on tape that I have been looking forward to reading for years. I can even sit quietly, just not talking for the entire time, another coveted non-activity that I rarely have a chance to experience.
Of course, if the occasion arises that I can have my hair and nails done, or a back massage (my personal favorite), or go shopping for an hour or two, I am in heaven. But since these are treats, and as such, rare occurrences, I’ll take my 40 minute drives 10 times per week and make them my private time away from family and work. The JAMA article allowed me to have a personal revelation and allowed me to have a chance to speak to a number of interesting and busy women who are physicians every moment of the day, but who have discovered the things that feed their souls as a people. I challenge physicians to think about your own “me time”, and you may surprise yourself in the ingenious ways that you have found to attain and keep your peace of mind. |